Day: April 12, 2011

Green Tea Contributes to Weight Loss by Raising Metabolism

It sounds too good to be true: could green tea really help us to lose weight? In fact, studies show that the caffeine and polyphenols in green tea increase thermogenesis, the rate at which calories are burned, and therefore raises metabolism. Raising metabolism causes the body to burn more calories, which in turn can lead to weight loss. In addition, research indicates that green tea consumption activates a higher rate of fat oxidation, which can also help weight loss.

In a human study, participants taking green tea extract and still following a typical Western diet experienced a significant increase in their energy expenditure. The researchers concluded that participants using green tea extract had increased fat oxidation beyond what could be attributed to the caffeine they consumed. This indicates that green tea contains beneficial components that affect the body’s metabolism in such a way that favors weight loss.

In addition, researchers observed that participants using green tea extract did not have increased heart rate, suggesting that green tea may be an alternative to many stimulant based diet aids.

Herbs That Increase Metabolism for Weight Loss

Some herbs act on digestion, metabolism, or appetite to impact weight loss. Certain substances can increase thermogenesis, or metabolism, which may lead to weight loss.

Certain thermogenic, or stimulant, herbs have a reputation for aiding weight loss, but according to the FDA should be avoided due to serious or possibly fatal side effects. Weight loss herbs to avoid include: ephedra (or products containing ephedra), which can have dangerous cardiac side effects, herbal laxatives such as cascara sagrada or senna, which can cause serious intestinal problems.

Featured Link: Green Tea and Weight Loss »

Herbs which may safely aid weight loss include the following:

» Cayenne contains a substance called capsaicin, which may stimulate digestion and increase metabolism and fat burning.
» Green tea contains caffeine and antioxidants that appear to stimulate metabolism.
» Seaweed, or kelp, is a natural thyroid stimulant, which may boost metabolism.
» Nettle is considered to be a thermogenic herb.
» Ginseng helps to boost energy and metabolism.

Anyone with problems or health conditions related to any of these herbs or their actions should not use them.

Hoodia Gordonii: “New” Herb for Weight Loss

The herb Hoodia gordonii (or just “Hoodia”) has gained recent attention as an aid for weight loss, due to its appetite suppressing actions. The plant grows in African desert regions, and has been used by the Kalahari San Bushmen for many hundreds of years.

Studies at Brown University indicate that Hoodia appears to work by interrupting or stopping the hunger mechanism in the brain. There is almost no research on the effectiveness of Hoodia as an herbal weight loss supplement, and no substantial information on its safety.

Diabetics should probably avoid Hoodia, because this herb “tricks” the brain into thinking that the body has sufficient blood sugar levels, which may interfere with the function of normal physiological processes that indicate when blood sugar is becoming dangerously low.

Fiber to Suppress Appetite

Taking soluble fiber supplements adds bulk and makes one feel full, but without any added calories. It is imperative to drink adequate water when using fiber supplements to avoid constipation and digestive problems, and fiber supplements should be taken under supervision of a health care professional. Foods high in soluble fiber include apples, oatmeal, beans, and pears.

Found in humid places or along watercourses, in waste places and mixed open forest. Eastern Africa and Madagascar to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Burma (Myanmar), Indo-China, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, throughout the Malesian region, east to the Palau Islands, the Caroline Islands and the Mariana Islands. Widely cultivated in Europe, Asia, North America and the West Indies.

Parts used:

Leaves and flowering tops.

Traditional uses:

roots and leaves – for pain, bitter tonic, expectorant and diuretic;

sap from crushed leaves – for coughs and sore throat;

leaf decoction – for wounds, ulcers, aromatic baths, and internally to promote the flow of milk, to induce menstruation, against gastric colic, and against flatulence.

seeds – boiled and eaten to prevent the spread of toxins from poisonous bites of animals;

flowers – for diarrhea, cholera and liver disorders

Special precautions:

Make sure to have the five-leaved varieties, as there are other varieties of lagundi.

Native to the Indo-Malesian region; in rich, moist soils, in most of Southeast Asia.

Parts used:

Rhizomes

Traditional uses:

As medicine – juice is applied to bruises, for stomach ache, as antispasmodic; for skin itch and other skin diseases; expels intestinal wormsOther uses: Food color, spice and dye for fabrics and fibers..

Special precautions:

As with any other medication, if after using for 3 – 5 days, symptoms persist or there is no sign improvement, consult a doctor.

In primary rainforests or mixed deciduous forests throughout the Philippines; in tropical Asia at altitudes up to 1000 m.

Parts used:

fresh or dried stem

Traditional uses:

An infusion is used to treat fever due to malaria; also for jaundice; and against intestinal worms.

Method of preparation and dosage:

Boil chopped stem, 30 g fresh or 25 g dried, in 3 glasses of water for 20 minutes. Strain. Take ½ glass of the decoction twice a day before meals.

Contraindications:

Bitter taste not agreeable to most people. Avoid giving to pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Special precautions:

Use non-metallic containers for preparing the decoction. As with any medication, proper administration of the designated dose is very important. If no improvement in the patient’s condition is observed after 2 days, discontinue treatment and consult a physician or pharmacist.

in disturbed habitats, in gardens and cultivated areas that are damp and lightly shaded, on damp hard surfaces such as walls, roofs, steep gullies, and in flower pots. Native to South America, common in South-East Asia, naturalized widely in the Old World tropics.

An annual herb or subshrub 0.5-1.5 m tall, erect much branched. Stem irregularly angular to to subterete up to 1 cm in diameter, green to brown-green with purplish spots near nodes . Leaves alternate, simple and very variable. Flowers usually borne singly, terminal. Fruit a non- pulpy berry, very variable in size, shape, color, and degree of pungency, up to 30 mm long green, yellow, cream or purplish when immature, red orange, yellow brown when mature.

Ecological distribution:

New World origin, originated in South America, introduced and cultivated throughout South-East Asia. They grow at a wide range of altitudes, with rainfall between 600-1250 mm.

Parts used:

Leaves, fruits.

Traditional uses:

Externally – carminative and antispasmodic in colics; relief of rheumatic pain.Used as spice in cooking.

Special precautions:

Capsicum may cause stomach irritation. Should not be taken during pregnancy and lactation.

Poliomyelitis is an infectious disease. It is caused by a virus transmitted from person to person through discharges from the nose and throat and from contamination with human waste.

Poliomyelitis (“polio”), or infantile paralysis, is a viral paralytic disease. The causative agent, a virus called poliovirus (PV), enters the body orally, infecting the intestinal wall. It may proceed to the blood stream and into the central nervous system causing muscle weakness and often paralysis.

Polio (infantile paralysis) is a communicable disease which is categorized as a disease of civilization. Polio spreads through human-to-human contact, usually entering the body through the mouth due to fecally contaminated water or food. The poliovirus is a small RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus that has three different strains and is extremely infectious. The virus invades the nervous system, and the onset of paralysis can occur in a matter of hours. While polio can strike a person at any age, over fifty percent of the cases occurred to children between the ages of three and five. The incubation period of polio, from the time of first exposure to first symptoms, ranges from three to thirty five days.

Polio can spread widely before physicians detect the first signs of a polio outbreak. Surprisingly, most people infected with the poliovirus have no symptoms or outward signs of the illness and are thus never aware they have been infected. After the person is exposed to the poliovirus, the virus is expelled through faeces for several weeks and it is during this time that a polio outbreak can occur in a community. The three strains of poliovirus result in non-paralytic polio, paralytic polio, and bulbar polio. In all forms of polio, the early symptoms of infection are fatigue, fever, vomiting, headache and pain in the neck and extremities.

SYMPTOMS
1. Fever
2. Headache
3. Stiffness of neck and back
4. Paralysis of voluntary muscles, usually of lower extremities.

TREATMENT
1. Isolate child in bed when fever develops and consult a doctor or health worker for treatment
2. Avoid traumas as infections, etc, if confirmed as poliomyelitis.
3. Reoprt eht suspected cases of poliomyelitis in the community to the health authority.

PREVENTION
1. The community should participate in information dissemination regarding poliomyelitis and get involved in local planning of its prevention and immunization activities.
2. Protect children against unnecessary close contact with persons outside the family
3. Avoid unnecessary travel and visiting
4. Report all suspected cases of poliomyelitis in the community to health authoriies.

1. LAGUNDI
This grows anywhere in the country and is used as cure for headache, fever, cough, wound and ulcer. Doctors administering drug preparation out of lagundi reported that the prescribed dosage for fever of viral origin as 75 percent efficacy since it contains elements that inhibit the growth of influenza egg virus.

2. YERBA BUENA
It is widely used as a therapeutic drug. It is said to cure fever, indigestion, influenza, headache, cough, measles, edema, vomiting, asthma etc. The leaves are pounded and formed into a decoction for use internally or externally.

3. GUAVA
It is not only useful as a fruit tree but also as medicine long used by our forefathers. Its leaves are used as aromatic bath for treatment of diarrhea, toothache and vaginal wash. Its unripe fruit is also used along with leaves for ulcers. Doctors say it is 90 to 100 percent effective for diarrhea and colic. Studies show that a decoction of guava leaves is effective for pyorrhea, dental abscess, etc. when it is used as mouthwash.

4. TSAANG GUBAT
Doctors took interest in the use of this after writer-columnist Mario Chanco related how he survived about with dysentery during the Japanese occupation by using a decoction of the plant. Tests conducted by the doctors proved 80 to 100 percent efficacy of tsaang-gubat as anti-diarrhea and anticolic remedy.

5. NIYOG-NYOGAN
The dried fruit of this plant is traditionally used for treatment of intestinal worms, particularly ascaris and tricihina. The fruits are simple chewed after meal. Doctors prescribed a dose of 8 to 10 nuts for adults and 4 to 7 nuts for children as antihelminic treatment for ascaris.

6. IPIL ? IPIL
The powdered seed of ipil-ipil has been found to be effective against pin-worms.

7. AKAPULKO
The juice from crushed leaves of akapulko is used for treatment of ringworm and other fungus infections of the skin. The powdered leaves are rubbed over the affected area 2 to 3 times a day until the infection is removed.

8. SAMBONG
The leaves are used for arthritis, rheumatism, chest pain, cough, gas pain and headache. The leaves are pounded or crushed and mixed with coconut oil. It is good for edema caused by heart or kidney disorders and promotes the loss of water and sodium from the body that is why it is called a diuretic.

1. KAKAWATE LEAVES
Crush or chop young leaves and extract juice
Apply the juice on the skin until the itchiness is relieved.

2. KALATSUTSI SAP
Extract the sap or juice from the leaves and trunk mix with coconut oil
Rub the mixture on the affected skin 2 times a day

3. KANYA PISTULA
Crush young leaves
Rub the crushed leaves on the affected area until relieved from itchiness.

SORE THROAT
Herbal Medications

1. LUYA OR GINGER LOZENGES
Wash and peel a small piece of ginger.
Chew slowly for a few minutes. Swallow the juice or keep a small piece in the mouth, chewing it little by little.

2. SABILA LEAVES
Wash leaves and cut in ? inch sizes
Keep in the mouth all day, swallowing the juice. Take another piece when there is no more juice.

3. KAYMITO LEAVES GARGLE
Boil 1 cup of chopped fresh leaves in 2 glasses of water for 10 minutes
Use the decoction as mouthwash or gargle.

4. DUHAT LEAVES MOUTHWASH
Boil 10 chopped fresh leaves in 2 glasses of water for 10 minutes
Use the decoction as mouthwash or gargle.

5. TALONG LEAVES MOUTHWASH
Boil 3 chopped leaves in 2 glasses of water for 10 minutes
Use the decoction as mouthwash or gargle.

SUNBURN AND PRICKLY HEAT
Herbal Medications

1. ALUSIMAN LEAVES
Extract juice from the leaves
Apply on the prickly heat after starch bath

2. BAYABAS LEAVES
If there is infection, boil cup of chopped leaves in one gallon of water.
Add 2 gallons of cold water
ACNE
Herbal Medications

1. RIPE PAPAYA WITH CALAMANSI
Mix three tablespoons of mashed ripe papaya with one tablespoon calamansi juice.
Aoply mixture on the face every after washing. Leave it on for 30 minutes, then wash face with warm water.

2. SABILA LEAVES
Get one leaf and peel the outer covering.
Rub the juice on the face every after washing. Leave it on for 30 minutes.

3. ROMERO LEAVES
Crush 5 leaves and extract the juice.
Apply juice on the face after washing it with warm water.
Leave it on overnight.

RHEUMATISM OR RHEUMATIC JOINT PAIN
Herbal Medications

1. KILAW POULTICE
Chop or crush a rhizome and mix with oil.
Apply on the joint as poultice overnight.

1. Darak (new grounded)
Boil the newly grounded darak. Filter the boiled liquid with a piece of cloth
Drink it like tea with sugar or honey.

COUGH COLDS AND FEVERS
Herbal Medications

1. GINGER, KALAMANSI AND SAMPALOK
Boil about 2 inches (thumb size) of luya in 2 cups boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes to make salabat.
Stain and set aside. Strain pulp of 1 to 2 ripe sampalok.
Add juice of 2 to 3 kalamansi fruites.
Add to salabat and sweeten with sugar or honey
Take every four hours or 3 to 4 times daily.

2. GUMAMELA
Boil gumamela flowers to make a tea.
This tea, made from red gumamela flowers, is an expectorant for bronchitis.

3. SAMBONG
Boil sambong leaves to make a tea.
Leaf decoction is an expectorant.
Take one glass every four hours.

4. Oregano
Leaf infusion is a cure for asthma. Juice from leaves with added sugar is given to children with respiratory problems like cough, asthma and bronchitis.
Boil two cups water for every handful of dried material or three handfuls of fresh ones.
Cover for about 15 to 20 minutes, strain and flavor with sugar if desired.

5. KAMPANITULOT
Decoction or wine infusion of the whole plant is prescribed for intermittent fever.
The juice of 20 to 40 leaves, extracted with water and a little wine is good for children with coughs, cols and asthma.

6. DAMONG MARIA
Decoction of leaves and flowers used as expectorant. It should however, not be given to those suffering from gastric ulcers, gastric intestinal inflammation and typhoid fever.
Boil about 40 fresh leaves with flowering tops (10 g) in 3 cups of water, for 15 to 20 minutes until you get 1 glass of the greenish tea solution. Drink while warm; dose good for one day use to be taken twice.

7. ALAGAW
Boil 8 to 10 fresh or dried leaves in 8 glasses water for 15 minutes. Strain. For adults, one glass of the mixture is recommended four times a day.

8. LAGUNDI
Boil 5 to six dried leaves or 8 to 10 fresh leaves in one glass water for 15 minutes or until you get ? glass of the solution. Strain and give ? to ? glasses every four hours to adults.

WORM IFESTATION
NIYUG-NIYOGAN SEEDS
Preparation: For adults, 10 seeds. For children 4 to 7 yrs old, 4 seeds. For children 8 to 9 years old, 6 seeds. For children 10 to 12 years old, 7 seeds.
Application: Eat raw 2 hours after supper. Repeat after one week if needed.